Third instance of voter registration dumping found in VirginiaBy David Ferguson
Friday, October 19, 2012 14:24 EDT

A third instance of fraudulent voter registration has been uncovered in the important swing state of Virginia, where a Republican consultant has been arrested and thousands of discarded voter registration forms were recovered from a dumpster earlier this week. According to the Not Larry Sabato blog, a law student at James Madison University registered to vote on campus, but found when she tried to verify the change online, found that her form had never been submitted.

On Thursday, Raw Story reported that 31-year-old Colin Small, a Republican operative employed by Pinpoint, a firm contracted by Republican Party of Virginia, was arrested and charged with “four counts of destruction of voter registration applications, eight counts of disclosure of voter registration application, and one count of obstruction of justice” for throwing active voter registration forms into a dumpster.

Not Larry Sabato blogger Ben Trippett wrote that 2 to 3 weeks ago, a woman, identified only by her first name, Lucy, attempted to update her voter registration at a table on the campus of James Madison University.

The Virginia State Board of Elections announced Friday that it will not ask the state’s attorney general to investigate the Republican operative accused of tossing out eight completed voter registration forms, rejecting Democratic-led efforts at a full investigation into the alleged tampering.

State Senator and chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus Donald McEachin had called for a complete investigation of the incident, in which 31-year-old Colin Small is accused of deliberately discarding valid voter registration forms.

“This is simply too serious an issue,” McEachin said in a statement. “Voting is the bedrock of our democracy and we, as Virginians, deserve to know exactly what happened, how widespread the abuse and under whose orders, if any, the individual in question acted.”

et the board decided not to request a formal investigation by Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, leaving the matter up to local authorities. A spokesman for Cuccinelli’s office told the Washington Post that the attorney general could only review the case if the State Board of Elections asked him to do so.

GOP Voter Registration Scandal Widens, Prosecutors File Criminal ChargesA Virginia official is busted for tossing voter forms. Turns out he works for the national party, too.October 20, 2012 |
A man originally reported to have been working for the Republican Party of Virginia was arrested by the Rockingham County, Va., Sheriff’s Office on Thursday and charged with attempting to destroy voter registration forms by tossing them into a dumpster behind a shopping center in Harrisonburg, Va.

“Prosecutors charged him with four counts of destruction of voter registration applications, eight counts of failing to disclose voter registration applications and one count of obstruction of justice,” according to a report late Thursday afternoon from TPM’s Ryan Reilly . More charges could be forthcoming, according to officials.

But there is more to the story, as evidence emerges to document that it ties into a still-expanding nationwide GOP Voter Registration Fraud Scandal that the BRAD BLOG first began reporting in late September , after we’d learned that the Republican Party of Florida had turned in more than 100 allegedly fraudulent and otherwise suspect voter registration forms in Palm Beach County. The story has continued to widen ever since, to a dozen Florida counties and several other states, now including Virginia, and even to the upper-echelons of the Republican Party itself.

The man arrested today was 23-year-old Colin Small of Phoenixville, Pa. As it turns out, he does not only work for the Virginia Republican Party. According to an online profile, he appears to be working for the Republican National Committee and, prior to that, served as an Intern for Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., in the U.S. House of Representatives.

6. Excellent reporting by Brad Blog... He did a lot to expose election fraud going on here in Wis....

2. I am going to go out on a limb here: Every instance of the voter registration dumping...

...and other sundry forms of electoral treachery this year will somehow be linked to the GOP. And I'll go further and suggest that in those states with republican election authorities, little to nothing will be done. No investigations, no arrests -- other than the one already made, of course. And I wouldn't be surprised if his path to redemption is paved with roses and well wishes: Eagle Scout, you know; fine member of the community.

At least we know he got his Merit Badges for Dishonesty, Theft and Savaging Democracy. Those particular Badges are sponsored by Troop GOP, KKKarl Rove, Troop Leader.

3. Where is the U.S. Attorney General? Can he do something about this?

I'm not a lawyer, but I think throwing away people's voter registration forms can be regarded as a violation of their civil rights.

When is someone going to take serious legal action to stop the Repukes' election theft program? This has been going on since at least 2000. Don't forget, Watergate was about Repukes bugging a Democratic campaign headquarters to gain an advantage in the 1972 presidential election.

These bastards need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in order to teach them that election theft is a crime and they will be made to pay for it. That's the only way to stop this criminal behavior.

4. Provisional voting

Thank you for the updates. It's good to see the light shining on these crooks.

Every time I see one of these stories, I hope that everyone that may become disenfranchised is aware of provisional voting. Even if they say that you are not registered, you can still vote. The rules are slightly different in every state. Here in Michigan it is fairly simple.

Michigan
Voters who do not bring picture identification to the polls or do not possess picture identification can vote by signing an affidavit.

Here is a link to the League of Women Voters that gives the various stipulations of all states and voting districts.

7. your title is wrong

there's no such thing as "Democratic voter registrations" in Virginia.

I am a recently registered voter in Virginia: party affiliation is not on the registration form, nor is it on the registration card that comes in the mail. The form does warn, however, to verify voter registrations before the deadline at the Virginia elections website and to contact them (as well as keep a copy of the registration form) to verify registration before the deadline.

I'm as outraged as any other liberal by the destruction of voter registration forms; however, please don't distort the facts here.